Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	according_a	jesus_n	lord_n	1,817	5	3.2256	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19459	A briefe ansvver vnto certaine reasons by way of an apologie deliuered to the Right Reuerend Father in God, the L. Bishop of Lincolne, by Mr. Iohn Burges wherin he laboureth to prooue, that hauing heretofore subscribed foure times, and now refusing (as a thing vnlawfull) that he hath notwithstanding done lawfully in both. Written by VVilliam Couell, Doctor in Diuinitie.	Covell, William, d. 1614?	1606 (1606)	STC 5880; ESTC S108879	108,616	174

Church wherein they liue we are content to allowe although you haue not fully expressed the intention of the Church of England in this point That to signe the Infant with the signe of the Crosse was to signe him with an ancient token of Christian profession that it is not a signe from God to men nor of men to God and therefore no idolatrous worship invented in our Church but of men to men as the Ring in marriage no part of the Sacrament no consecrating or operatiue signe no Symbolicall or sacramentall signe not so much as explicatory but a simple significatiue rite expres to the Cōgregations hope expectation of that child which no mā can doubt to be the vertuous religious intention of our Church both because as you confes It is after Baptisme 2. It is saide wee 3. It is omitted in priuate Baptisme 4. And lastly the signe is omitted in the Lords Supper as not giuing either vertue to the Sacrament or holinesse to the action which were in these latter times vnsufferable errors superstitiously brought in by the Church of Rome wherein all indifferent men may see the moderation of our church which hauing left the ordinary vse of the Crosse in al actions at all times for which the practise of antiquitie might haue beene some warrant haue onely admitted the same in Baptisme as then chiefly requisite for a signification of that profession which at that time the Infant vndertooke and therein ment to continue for euer after In this sence which is the warrantable intention of our Church if you haue held it lawfull heretofore and now doe not wee may say as S. Paule to the Galathians Ye did run well who hath hindred you that you did not obey the trueth but wee will not censure you but rather hope better things of you desiring all men to remember the Apostles peremptorie conclusion If any man teach otherwise consenteth not to the wholsom words of the Lord Iesus Christ to the Doctrine which is according to godlinesse he is puft vp and knoweth nothing but doteth about questions strife of words wherof commeth enuie strife railings euill surmises froward disputations of men of corrupt mindes and destitute of the truth which thinke that gaine is godlinesse APOLOGIE BVt now my Lord obseruing duely the 30. Canon made of purpose to explaine the lawfull vse of the crosse to which we are now tyed as to the iudgement of the church though for my reuerend opinion of that assemhly I could easily beleeue that in this explication they haue bin vsed as were the good fathers at the counsel of Arimine vnder great penalties I finde that our Church professeth to retaine it for the very remembrance of the Crosse which is precious to all that truely beleeue in Christ and in such vse as did the antique fathers and churches and by name that by that cerimony and honorable badge the infant is dedicated to the seruice of him that dyed vpon the crosse In which construction I do not see how I can subscribe vnto it as before I did for confessing that I grudged the name of an honorable badge remembring to what dishonorable Idolatry it serued of late and yet doth in Popery and being therupon attainted by the Peares and neighbour Churches is not yet restored in blood and think we may say of it as Iacob of Reuben Thou wast fair but hast lost thy bewty by clyming vp vnto thy fathers bed I protest against that memoratiue vse of it in the congregation and in the Sacrament to call to minde the Crosse of Christ whether thereby his sufferings or his Altar be ment as that which openeth a gappe to crossings in daily vse and crosses and crucifixes and so any Imagery in the church and worship of God and think that this which hath bin abused with spirituall fornication as a common harlot may easily proue in that vse a cunning baud to solicite the vnstable hearts of men to their old superstition and therefore seemeth to me to be against the second commaundement which forbiddeth all prouocations vnto Superstition as well as the seauenth doth all incitations to Adultery ANSVVERE FRom dislikes seeming as grieuous in shewe for a long time as vehemētly persued by a great number we are now come at the last to that one point the Crosse in Baptisme wherein alone both antiquitie is thought to be too superstitious and this present age for following the same example vnexcusable of a dangerous vnsufferable idolatrie but as the Church of England hitherto hath not found it sa●e to follow the reformation of those men who know no other means to purifie Churches but to pull them downe so in this shee esteemeth it safer and more vertuous to free the signe of the Crosse from the staines of superstitions contracted in these later and corrupted times rather then altogether to reiect the more auncient and purer vse thereof as men ashamed of that which was Saint Pauls reioycing at the Crosse of Christ. Wee are not desirous in things of this nature to satifie the Reader with empty words b● as farre as wee are able in truth to let all men see that both the Church hath reason to exact an obedience to that which it doeth lawfully command and that their curiositie is without excuse who either of singularitie or ignorance seeme to pretend holy reasons to warrant them in that which they doe refuse and surely it must needes bee thought an vnthankefull and ouer-bold accusation of those men who dare aduenture to accuse a whole Church a sincere and religious Church a Church wherin they haue bin borne nourished brought vp whose true doctrine hath bin the foundation of their-iudgements if they haue any rather then they will be thought to like others or in what things they refuse obedience to her Lawes not to be warranted by Gods word as the vnstained actions of a sanctified grounded pure zeale as if the Church of England which in the true opinion of the world is more setled more reformed more vertuous vnder the gouerment of so sincere and so religious a prince had by an vniuersall consent conspired as it were to increase Idolatrie and established constitutions for the vniust recalling of the iustly banished superstions of the Romish Church and therfore obseruing duely the 30. Canon made of purpose to explaine the lawfull vse of the crosse to which we are now tyed as to the Iudgement of the church you do not see how you can possibly subscribe vnto it as before you did We desire all that are indifferent to viewe the reasons and vses contained in that Canon and we doubt not but it will appeare that their motiues were sufficient to ratifie the vse of the Crosse in the intention of our Church and to free that learned and religious assembly from the imputation you lay vpon them by comparing it to the Counsell of ARMINE First Iewish and heathenish blasphemie

as much indispensable necessitie as conformitie and obedience vpon ours Like vnto this surmise is that which followeth And say wee cannot confirme in euerie point you know who said the varietie of ceremonies did commend the vnitie of faith But doubtlesse it had beene much better for the Church more warrantable for your selues more pleasing to the state more profitable to your owne families to haue conformed your selues in euerie poynt then by refusing to hinder the Church of that good which by your owne confession might haue beene more in one yeare then all the Ceremonies will doe whilest the vvorld standeth For if any thing be imposed by authoritie contrarie to the word of God let some men take vpon them to prooue it and farre be it from vs for any mans cause to maintaine an euicted errour wee may bee deceiued and haue our infirmities as other men but wee are not vnwilling who will needes bee our aduersaries to account them our maisters if there bee iust cause But if these ceremonies be onely vnlawfull to some men for want of true resolution and so contrarie to conscience which yet is no warrant for disobedience let them learne to know that in things not vnlawfull It is better to obey then to offer Sacrifice Amongest men of equall authoritie in place of freedome diuersities of opinions may safely be published without offence but where men want authority and place to aduise and when Iawes haue set downe what is though fit there to thinke otherwise then the Church doth it is as if common passengers would sayle to Chyna by the North-east when the maisters and gouernours had determined to sayle by the North-west Wherein if both partes remayne equally stiffe in their owne opinions a mutinie must follow for want of Discipline sometimes I confesse varietie and alteration of cerimonies are thought fit both to shew the authoritie of the Church for you selfe haue confessed when you read your articles that euerie particuler or nationall Church hath authoritie to ordayne change and abolish ceremonies or rites of the Church ordained onely by mans authoritie so that all things bee done to aedifying Secondly that they are but furtherances of deuotion and no partes of diuine worship But when they are established as thought fit for decencie edification and order by such as haue authoritie from Christ to moderate those thinges then by inferiour persons such as wee are eyther to bee oppugned misconstrued despised or disobeyed it is daungerouslye to kindle a fyre of Rebellion in the principall parts of Gods house But that which followeth is much worse O my good Lord will it not bee enough to keepe safe and well fenced your Iurisdictions and personall dignities not enough to deuide the Honours to your selues and labours to vs Haue the last Canons no other end but to fence the Iurisdictions and personall dignities vnto the B B. Doubtlesse the diminishing of their honors which could neuer haue been without wrong vnto the Church was little to be feared though the Canons had not beene where so wise a King ruled ouer vs who had throughly tasted the calamities and miseries of that Church which placed the greatest part of their Zeale in suppressing of Bishops and whilest they laboured that none might haue too much they presently brought it so to passe that scarce any had what was reasonable enough besides if you knew the vnwearied paines the intollerable burthens that diuers of the Reuerend Fathers who watch ouer vs dayly sustayne for the peace and the happinesse of this Church you would plainely acknowledge preaching not to be the greatest paines and that it is a misdeeming of their care to thinke That they haue deuided the honours to themselues and the labours to you Surely there is no greater or more vehement exercise of faith amongest so many perils then prayers for the publicke peace of the Church and it is our parts to vnderstand those perils and to iudge them to appertaine to our owne safeties Besides it is our dutie to ascribe to the Magis●rates Wisedome and Iustice that is that wee doe not preferre our priuate iudgements before the lawes and decrees of the Church but obey them This honour is most agreeable to publicke peace not to cauill against the lawes nor to interprete them with Iealousie or Enuie but to couer to excuse and mitigate the ouer-sightes of Magistrates and lawes if there be any This as it is in priuate the ornament of a Christian so it is in publicke the honour of a good subiect Loue beareth all things Loue is the bond of perfection to preuent dissolutions of a Church or a commonwealth And heerein if the requisite seueritie which the palsie of the Church exacteth from the Reuerend Fathers draw them to punish whom they desire to fauour to aduance and cherish it is not a casting out of borne Israelites as you terme it but a iust reprehension setting a marke vpon that sonne that hath made no conscience to discouer the supposed nakednesse of his owne father In whose place it any wild beasts Papists you meane shall multiply I doubt not but their religious care will be as readie to suppresse the one as depriue the other And if in the ende as you prophesie which God forbid vnfortunately it happen that the Bishops shall want you as King Henry did Cromewell it shall be much safer to indure the hazard of those times then to buy an aduantage at so deare a price In the meane time beleeue which it is fit for you to acknowledge that if you forbeare vpon the poynt of Conscience their Lordshipps haue better reasons for that they do then to stand vpon termes of their owne pleasures Now to conclude this vnpleasing worke which wee laid aside in hope to haue rested without trouble vntill such time as we saw their bookes of this argument to increase still and heard that as much of this as was then printed was by them confuted wee desire all men to think of vs as of those that account the infirmities of our brethren our owne harmes and the modest directions of men as meane as our selues to be no blemish vnto vs who propound not victory but truth and the Churches peace The God of all loue and the giuer of all graces multiply his blessings vpon this land let them be poured O Lord as an oyntment vpon the Kings head strengthen the weake hands of the reuerend fathers the chiefe builders of his Temple giue vnto vs all vnity and peace as the bonds and sinewes of the communion of saints make vs to thinke and to speake the same things grant vnto you and others that refuse conformitie vpon conscience a better light peace in your hearts remorse for silencing your selues comforts against all worldly afflictions and if it so seeme good to his infinite wisedome seeing our Church hath so many trayterous and seditious enemies without that all within her owne bosome may thinke loue desire and behaue